(Zaman Al Wasl)- The Syrian regime army has sent huge reinforcements to northern Aleppo province, including elite force of the 4th Armored Division, as regime backed by Russia seeks to take last rebel strongholds in northern Syria, a military source told Zaman al-Wasl Monday. About 1000...

U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the state of relations between their two countries in a phone call instigated by Putin, the White House said Monday. The official reason for the call, according to both sides, was for Putin to thank Trump for what...

Iraq's top Shi'ite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani condemned Monday U.S. air strikes that hit several bases of an Iran-backed militia and killed at least 25 people, demanding respect for Iraq's sovereignty. The "illegal practices carried out by some sides" must not be used as a reason...

Turkey is considering sending allied Syrian fighters to Libya as part of its planned military support for the embattled government in Tripoli, four senior Turkish sources said Monday, with one adding that Ankara was leaning toward the idea. Turkey has not yet sent any Syrian fighters as...

French union leaders upped their calls on Monday for President Emmanuel Macron to give ground on a planned pension overhaul, despite signs that support is flagging for a gruelling transport strike now in its 26th day. Macron will address the nation Tuesday in his annual New Year's Eve...

Muslim women in the Palestinian Gaza Strip have been hand-crafting gifts for the approaching Orthodox Christmas as part of a project to empower a traditional community. Their Santa Claus dolls, toy Christmas trees and red-and-white puppets come into high demand over the holiday season in...

A top Iraqi militia leader warned of a strong response against U.S. forces in Iraq following air strikes in Iraq and Syria overnight that hit several bases of his Iranian-backed group and killed at least 25 people. The U.S. military carried out air strikes on Sunday against the...

Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Monday met the main opposition party leader to discuss the upcoming parliament session on possible military deployment in Libya. Cavusoglu informed Kemal Kilicdaroglu of the Republican People's Party (CHP) about the motion to be submitted in the...

Lebanon’s powerful Shi’ite group Hezbollah condemned on Monday U.S. air strikes in Iraq and Syria targeting the Iran-backed Kataib Hezbollah militia, calling them a blatant attack on Iraqi sovereignty, security, and stability. In a statement, Lebanon’s Hezbollah, which is also backed by...

(Zaman Al Wasl)- At least 283,462 people have fled their homes in northern Idlib province towards the Turkish border since the first of November, a relief group active in northwestern Syria said Monday. The Syrian Response Coordination Group said more than 51,260 families have been...

Hong Kong police Monday accused activists in the long-running pro-democracy movement of inciting minors to commit crimes. The claim Monday comes two days before a planned New Year's Day march that is expected to attract tens of thousands of participants. Chief police spokesman Kwok...

A court in Sudan on Monday sentenced 27 members of the country's security forces to death for torturing and killing a detained protester during the uprising against Sudan's longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir earlier this year. The death of protester Ahmed al-Khair, a school teacher, while in...

The Taliban Monday denied agreeing to any ceasefire in Afghanistan after rumours swirled of a potential deal that would see a reduction in fighting after more than 18 years of war. The statement from the insurgents comes as local and international forces brace for another bloody winter amid...

A key commander of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the mother organization of the Pakistani Taliban, was killed in Afghanistan, the group confirmed on Sunday. Qari Saifullah Mehsud, spokesman for the Hakimullah Mehsud group, was shot dead by gunmen outside the Guloon camp in Khost...

Death toll of Sunday attacks by the U.S. on positions belong to Iraqi Kataib Hezbollah militia group in Iraq and Syria has risen to 24, according to an Iraqi source on Monday. Jawad Kadhim Al-Rabaiwi, senior leader of Hashd al-Shaabi -- an umbrella group for various militias -- said in a...

Death toll from a powerful typhoon that struck parts of the Philippines last week on Christmas has risen to 47, according to official media on Monday. The number of injured has also climbed to 143 while nine others are reportedly missing in the wake of the storm's landfall, the state-run...

Police in Turkey detained dozens of people suspected of links to Daesh (ISIS), the state-run news agency reported Monday, in an apparent sweep against the militant group ahead of New Year celebrations. At least 33 foreign nationals were detained in the capital Ankara in a joint operation by...

Operations resumed at Iraq's southern Nassiriya oilfield Monday, two oil sources said, but it will take up to two days for output to be fully restored. Protesters broke into the oilfield, which produces 80,000-85,000 barrels of oil per day, Saturday and forced employees to cut off...

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will give his set-piece New Year speech on Wednesday, an opportunity to flesh out the nuclear-armed nation’s threat to seek a "new way" forward after the expiration of its year-end deadline for US sanctions relief. Ahead of the address, Kim told a meeting of...

Tourists and firefighters were forced to flee vast fires burning in southeastern Australia on Monday, as a heatwave rekindled devastating bush blazes across the country. Authorities said "quite a number" of the 30,000 tourists visiting the usually picturesque southeast tip of the continent...